The Mystery Machine

[TimC]

Good to hear from you Rob. I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Thanks goodness for all the medical staff. They are responsible for pulling a lot of folks through this terrible, unpredictable virus.

[Tom&Shelly]

I have just about resigned myself to the notion that I will get it eventually.
I qualify for he booster shot at the end of January.
I will certainly be having it.
Seems that the vaccinated can still get it, but are less likely to, will experience milder symptoms if they do get it, and be less contagious for a shorter time.
That being the opinions published on some reasonably credible websites, such as Harvard University, Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, CDC.gov, etc..
Same websites urge mask wearing as another line of defence.
Having read lots, from places other than Twitter and FB, my thoughts are that vaccination and mask wearing are the way forward.
I don't believe lock downs (we've only had about 5 days worth in my state), mandated maximum crowd densities, contact tracing, and "social distancing" provide enough gain for the pain they cause.
Good ol' prophylaxis whilst going about our business looks like the way to go.

We're so fearful here that Shelly suggested I shave my beard before going out to Harbor Fright so the KN-95 mask will be more effective. "But if I shave, how will they know I'm a wood worker?" I asked.

"You can keep the mustache, as long as it's all inside the mask," she answered. Which is true, but if it's all inside the mask, how will they know I have a mustache? So she promised to draw one on my mask with a sharpy.

Seriously, we're trying to limit our trips outside the cabin and woods to bare necessities. Last year we found out Walmart will deliver groceries to our truck in their parking lot, so that's what we are doing again.

Tom

[rjgimp]

I tend not to use a mask unless I am forced. I prefer keeping my distance from those whom I do not know (and some I do know!) I have not taken the jab and do not plan to. Call me crazy. I am a firm believer in the value of natural immunity after surviving a given disease. We used to get thrown in a room with the first kid in the neighborhood who got the measles back in the 70s. Not sure where I got the co-vid. I have a couple ideas but no way to prove or disprove either.

My brother (who is as far to the left politically as I am to the right and would be aghast a what I just said above) often jokes I am like a cat with nine lives. I told him I think I still have about three left. It is truly a shame that this thing has become so political.

I am absolutely touched that all you fools somehow noticed that I was absent and were concerned about me. My gratitude is difficult to fully describe. There are literally hundreds of others who came out of the woodwork to pray over me. My trophy wife set up a Caringbridge site (Rob Gimpl if you want to take a peek) and there have been some 13,000 visits over the last two months. I feel a bit like George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life. Thank you. You are my kind of fools and I pray none of you takes that the wrong way. I mean it a a complement.

[MickinOz]

I tend not to use a mask unless I am forced.

I'm a tad to the right of centre, but I like wearing the mask.
With all the damned surveillance cameras around these days, anything that makes it harder for the nosey bastards on the other end to work out who I am.......

I have not taken the jab and do not plan to. Call me crazy. I am a firm believer in the value of natural immunity after surviving a given disease

I dunno mate, I had the jab. I went with the option least likely to kill me. Didn't fancy catching this particular disease to build my anitibodies.

[rjgimp]

I am absolutely going to lose my procrastinator's card for this. I now have a deadline of August 22. We have committed to a gathering in Missouri and I have announced to my bride that I will have a camper at least ready for habitation.

My health has been improving steadily, though I am not back to 100% of my pre-hospitalization abilities. I did eight weeks of physical therapy but my frozen right shoulder is only less frozen. It will have to do. I am still in pulmonary therapy for another week at least. Stairs still kick my butt, though not quite as hard as before. I am unable to return to what I was doing before I got sick (lawn care) though we are incredibly blessed to be in our current position. The cars and house are paid for and I can get away with calling myself semi-retired for at least some time and not have to worry too much about how the groceries will find their way to the kitchen. Volunteer work will be my new vocation to keep me mostly out of trouble for the time being.

Truth be told, after several days of rather warm weather for this far north of the Mason Dixon line I was getting antsy back in early April and took an ice chisel to the several inches of white nonsense keeping me away from my project in the back of the driveway. While I was in the hospital my awesome neighbor was shoveling from the street up to my door so my wife and daughter could get in and out but nothing was cleared on the upper half of the driveway to the garage. So after several days (great therapy for my bad shoulder) I actually got all the ice chipped away and the big pieces melted away... and then I got waylaid with other projects from the HoneyDo jar.

So here we are knocking on June. I have ten weeks or so. Nine, really. One week of that we will be out of town on a volunteer gig at our church camp. Demolition will need to start next week if there is to be any hope. LOL!

[Hepcat]

Hey Rob,

good to see you about and active. Nothing helps rehab as well as a project on a super tight deadline

I just hope you don't underestimate the time it takes to build whatever you're trying to do. My deadline comes up this Friday, and I am resigned to the fact that a lot of things will at best be half-done...

[tony.latham]

I did eight weeks of physical therapy but my frozen right shoulder is only less frozen.

That can't be from your bout with Covid, can it? I'm glad to hear you're going to start on your build.

Tony

[rjgimp]

I did eight weeks of physical therapy but my frozen right shoulder is only less frozen.

That can't be from your bout with Covid, can it? I'm glad to hear you're going to start on your build.

Tony

Yep. I went into the hospital on November 10th with both shoulders functioning normally and when I woke up on December 12th I couldn’t raise my right arm up more than about 60 degrees or so. I have about 130 degrees now to the front and about 95 to the side but still nothing close to normal. They had me in some sort of rack so I could be flipped over frequently. My joint/muscle/nerves somehow became “impinged” and I am slowly and steadily trying to “unimpinge” it.

I get to stick around for a while longer and I don’t have much choice other than to work with what I still have. I’ll take it.


Thanks for the encouragement, Hepcat. I will do what I can and hope it ultimately outweighs what I can’t!

[MickinOz]

Both my son and his two employees have tested positive for the virus.
You would not think my son had tested positive, if you had seen him pumping out the burpees last night.
One of his employees is very very sick, as in take me to the hospital sick, the other is simply staying home per the rules for a positive test.

All three are vaccinated, I believe.
I had spent the weekend working with them, so I took a test this morning.
Damned happy to see only one line.

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[TimC]

Covid is one weird disease for sure. Wife and I haven't had any infections/symptoms. Test every few months when a concern arises.

Our two twin nephews just returned from a trip to Ireland with their wives. Tested neg prior to departure, toured for ten days, tested neg prior to return flight. Then both tested positive when they arrived at O'Hare. Now in quarantine. Both fully vacc'd and boosted. Fortunately just stuffy noses and a light cough.